shearing day

(That's Jeff Burchstead of Buckwheat Blossom Farm)

I love shearing day! I love the feeling of a fresh haircut, whether vicariously felt or not (though I did just have one of my own, and I dare say that the six inches lopped of my own is not all that different than the five inches of the ewes! So much lighter we all feel!). I love taking all that fleece off and seeing just what's left of those little sheep, being reminded of how tiny they really are (which explains how Adelaide manages to pick each of them up so often), and to be comforted by the visible evidence that they're healthy and well (it's a great way to judge their health, how they look just after shearing). I love watching someone so adept at their work that watching them do it is like watching a dance - a dance with a sheep and a man. I love letting go of that task to someone who knows what they're doing, someone who is comfortable and at ease with the clippers in his hands (thank you, Jeff!). I love how my kids dive in to help - in every single aspect of the job, and how they're encouraged to do so by our visiting guest. I love being outside for a morning with the sheep I love, the family I adore, and a friend I'm growing to love catching up with twice a year. And without a doubt, I love the promise of all that yarn to come. For surely, there is a good deal of yarn to come! All boxed up and ready to go to the mill now, I'll see it again, next time as yarn, on some summer day soon to come.

Comments

shearing day

(That's Jeff Burchstead of Buckwheat Blossom Farm)

I love shearing day! I love the feeling of a fresh haircut, whether vicariously felt or not (though I did just have one of my own, and I dare say that the six inches lopped of my own is not all that different than the five inches of the ewes! So much lighter we all feel!). I love taking all that fleece off and seeing just what's left of those little sheep, being reminded of how tiny they really are (which explains how Adelaide manages to pick each of them up so often), and to be comforted by the visible evidence that they're healthy and well (it's a great way to judge their health, how they look just after shearing). I love watching someone so adept at their work that watching them do it is like watching a dance - a dance with a sheep and a man. I love letting go of that task to someone who knows what they're doing, someone who is comfortable and at ease with the clippers in his hands (thank you, Jeff!). I love how my kids dive in to help - in every single aspect of the job, and how they're encouraged to do so by our visiting guest. I love being outside for a morning with the sheep I love, the family I adore, and a friend I'm growing to love catching up with twice a year. And without a doubt, I love the promise of all that yarn to come. For surely, there is a good deal of yarn to come! All boxed up and ready to go to the mill now, I'll see it again, next time as yarn, on some summer day soon to come.

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Greetings! I'm Amanda Blake Soule - mother of five, author of three books on family creativity, and editor-in-chief of Taproot Magazine. I live with my family in an old farmhouse in Western Maine where we raise animals, grow vegetables and make lots of things. I write about it all here on the blog. Thank you for visiting!